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Drive Less, Live More – Road Safety Week

Today marks the start of Road Safety Week in the UK (23-29 November 2015) and for the first time the organisers (road safety charity – Brake) have adopted a data driven approach.

CDRC affiliate student Matt Whittle has been working with the charity to develop an interactive map to support their campaign.  Matt commented “Previously Road Safety Week has focused on more direct impacts of roads such as safe road crossings and obeying the highway code, however this year they have focused on a more environmental theme, ‘ drive less, live more’.

While around 1000 people die on UK roads per year the number of people that die prematurely to poor air quality caused by traffic pollution is estimated to be in the region of 12,000 deaths per year.”

Matt worked with Brake to develop the interactive map that allows the user to explore the links between the amount of CO2 produced, the rate of driving and cycling and inactivity with the amount of premature deaths for 2014 for each local authority. The aim of the tool is to highlight the issue of personal transport and try to reduce the amount we travel in cars and increase the usage of sustainable transport.